Captain's daughter : speculation "is killing the family"

Support is pouring in for the daughter of missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah who is reported to have flown back to Malaysia to be with her distraught family.

Support is pouring in for the daughter of missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah who is reported to have flown back to Malaysia to be with her distraught family.

According to a report on an Australian news website, Aishah Zaharie flew back to Malaysia from Australia where she has lived since 2010.

She is said to have told a friend that speculation surrounding her father was "killing the family". The website's source said: "On what the international media wrote about Captain Zaharie is not true (and) ridiculous. He's a nice man and loving father to his children."

Aishah's Instagram and Facebook accounts have since been set to private (only her friends are able to view her posts and pictures) while her Twitter account has been deleted. However, support is pouring in for her from friends and family.

Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, whose training base is in Melbourne, urged his followers on Facebook and Twitter to pray for his friend's family.

"Captain Zaharie is our friend's daddy (our Melbourne buddy). Our heart sank upon hearing the appalling news about MH370. Thoughts and prayers goes out to the passengers on board and also to their families. Keep strong and be patient," he wrote in a Facebook post which has garnered 518 likes.

Azizulhasni's wife Athiah Ilyana Abdul Samat also conveyed her support on Twitter by asking her followers to pray for the passengers on board MH370.

"Pray for MH370. It's indeed so sad the pilot is my friend's daddy. Hope Aishah and family will be patient and pray a lot with this disaster," she tweeted.

On March 12, a 3.53-minute video entitled Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was posted on YouTube, featuring images of the pilot with family and friends. The video has garnered 98,926 views so far.

The video begins with the caption: "A tribute to a man well loved by many. Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the guy we all call Ari, Uncle Ari and Tok Mamu Ari."

It continues with close-circuit TV footage that shows the pilot walking through security checks at the KL International Airport before presumably boarding flight MH370. The rest, in the form of a slide show, depicts Zaharie in his younger days.

The video ends with the plea and prayer: "Please come home, we miss you. Uncle Ari, we patiently and anxiously await your safe return, along with the rest of your crew members and passengers. Insyaallah."